Guitar



(No Model.) L. F. MALKBMUS.

GUITAR. N0. 523,079. v Patented July 17, 1894.

Z Mm

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS F. MALKEMUS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GUITAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,079, dated July 17, 1894.

Application filed April 3, 1894:- Serial No. 506,158- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS F. MALKEMUS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guitars, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to improvements in guitars, and consists in certain peculiarities of the form or shape and construction of the body or sounding-box, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The objects of my invention are first, to afiord a guitar, which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, attractive in appearance, and more effective in use; and second, such a guitar, which by reason of the peculiar formation of its body or soundingbox will afiord greater resonance, thus producing notes or sounds of greater and purer timbre or quality, and rich tones of great sweetness and consonance.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a plan view of my guitar. Fig. 2, is a rear end view of the body or sounding-box. Fig. 3, is a plan View, showing a modification in the construction of the guitar, and Fig. 4, is an end view, taken on line 4, 4, of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the difierent views of the drawings.

A, represents the body or sounding-box of my guitar, which is made of wood or other suitable material, and preferably of the shape or form shown in the drawings. One side of the body or sounding box is straight, as shown, while the other side is formed with a curved out-line, so as to produce the extensions a, and a, the latter of which is somewhat smaller than the former, and is at that portion of the sounding-box to which the neck B, is secured. The sounding-board or top A, of the box or body, is provided with an opening a near the fixed end of the neck, and across which the strings extend, as usual. The neck B, may be provided with frets and keys, as in guitars of the ordinary construction, and for the purpose of attaining the de- 'against the body of the performer.

sired pitch. As shown in Fig. 2, of the draw ings, the straight side A of the soundingbox is much shallower than the curved side, and that the top or sounding-board A, is curved in cross-section, so as to be raised to the upper portion of the curved side of the box, thus forming the deepest portion of the chamber along and about said curved side. The bottom A of the box, is formed with a slightly outward curve, as shown in Figs. 2, and 4, and is secured to the sides in any desired manner. I have found by experience that this construction of the sounding-box or body, produces notes of much better quality and timbre, than is provided by guitars of the ordinary construction.

In Figs. 3, and 4, of the drawings, I have shown a modification in the form of my guitar, in which the sounding-box or body is of the same construction, as above described, with the exception that the neck B, is so attached to the body, that when the instrument is being used, the straight side A will be adjacent to the body of the performer, whereas in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, and 2, the curved side of the sounding-box will rest It will therefore, be readily seen and understood, that I may change the location of the neck of the instrument, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the main object of which is the deepening of a portion of the sounding-box and of providing the same with a curved bot-tom and sounding-board.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As an improved article of manufacture, a guitar consisting of a body or sounding-box having a straight side and a chamber gradually deepening from said side, substantially as described.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a guitar consisting of a body or sounding-box composed of the straight side A the opposite side curved having the extensions a, and a, the curved top or sounding-board A, having the opening a and the outwardly curved bottom A substantially as described.

LOUIS F. MALKEMUS.

Witnesses:

CHAS. O. TILLMAN, E. A. DUGGAN. 

